East Africa’s only public children’s hospital forms part of MTRH’s expanding centres of excellence.
AMPATH at MTRH is the continent’s largest single-site HIV treatment programme, serving over 180,000 patients.
Transforming Regional Care: Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s Role in Health Equity
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), based in Eldoret, Kenya, has grown from a 60-bed colonial facility to a modern regional medical powerhouse. Today, it serves more than 25 million people across Kenya, Eastern Uganda, South Sudan, Northern Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This growth has been driven by national support, international partnerships, and a focused commitment to specialty healthcare.
Designated a referral facility under legal notice in 1998, MTRH now delivers advanced services such as cochlear, kidney, and corneal transplants, cardiac and neurosurgical procedures, and 24-hour trauma care. Its work aligns with Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), reflecting national and regional health priorities.
MTRH is also a teaching hospital for Moi University and hosts over 240 postgraduate registrars across medical disciplines. Additional medical institutions also rely on MTRH for clinical training, solidifying its role in strengthening Kenya’s healthcare workforce.
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MTRH Leads with Innovation, Expansion, and Strategic Global Ties
What sets MTRH apart is its dynamic global collaboration model. Strategic partnerships with institutions like Indiana University, Duke, and the University of Toronto have supported the development of world-class centres such as the Chandaria Cancer Centre, Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital—the only public children’s hospital in Eastern Africa—and the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Africa’s largest single-site HIV treatment programme.
The hospital’s rapid growth has also required constant innovation. From ISO 9001:2015 certification to its state-of-the-art 62-bed ICU and 80-bed mental health unit, MTRH is redefining what’s possible in public health delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. The proposed 2,000-bed facility in Kiplombe aims to further elevate this capacity.
Despite the achievements, the institution operates in a sector still grappling with funding constraints, access disparities, and growing demand for specialist care. However, MTRH’s trajectory proves that public institutions can lead in delivering inclusive, high-quality healthcare.
